The Time Traveler
by bufffycat
Summary: Matthew was on his way home when he ran into the strangest person possible. And he says some pretty odd things... PruCan M for lemon in the first chapter
1. Chapter 1

Time travel is entirely possible.

The idea was proven by a scientist who accidentally stumbled across the key one day while observing the interactions of several minerals in their lab. Soon after a team worked together, refining what they found and adapting their discovery into something controllable; something that a person could use easily and the tests were all coming back with positive results. As soon as the first prototype was developed, governments shut down the project and destroyed all of the research. It was deemed too dangerous and everyone involved was sworn to secrecy. Though that did not stop it.

A few of the documents survived and were leaked to the rest of the public. An outcry followed at the removal of the knowledge and those in charge did what they always did when they could no longer hide information away: they tried to control it.

The scientists were allowed to resume their work, but heavy regulations were placed on what could be done with it. Progress was slow at first, but soon they were one again testing their inventions and the world marvelled at the work that was being conducted.

But testing seemed to only go so far. They found they were able to send lab animals backwards through time with relative ease, but that didn't answer the big question that was on everyone's minds: would it work on humans?

Human testing was one of the banned requirements that their research had to meet, so it would seem impossible to ever find the answer to such a question. Technology continued to grow and develop until it became small enough that it could be smuggled from the testing facilities by one of the interns who took it to a privately funded group dedicated to testing just that.

And it worked.

A new problem developed. With the prototypes leaked, and more and more people getting their hands on them, worries arose of changes to history. What would occur if these devices fell into the wrong hands, and they managed to alter the past? Although some speculated such a paradox would not be possible, it could not be risked and a special law enforcement branch developed who, armed with devices of their own, would track down perpetrators who had escaped to the past and punished them for their crimes.

Those that travelled back were often those with connections or money who simply wanted a posh vacation experience more than the run-of-the-mill trips to exotic countries. Others were people who had simply stolen what they wanted and run off before they were caught. However, if you were found in possession of such an item, it meant almost certain prison time.

And those that travelled back generally had difficulty concealing that they were the outsiders to the time periods. Cultures gave them different names for they were seen as prophets, oracles, gods, the mentally unstable, and science fiction writers. Few who encountered an actual time traveller ever figured out the person's true identity.

* * *

The loud music and pulsing lights of the club had lost the excitement and novelty for one of the attendees who had been pushed by the crowd to the far edge of the room. Matthew brushed some of his light blonde hair away from his over-heated face while attempting to ignore the jostling of couples around him as they sloppily made out and tangled together. His bored blue-lavender eyes scanned the crowd once more hoping to catch sight of his brother. Alfred had disappeared into the mob shortly after they arrived even though he had been the one to drag Matthew along in the first place; something about him needing to get out more while they had the chance to during their stay in New York City. Last he had seen of his twin was the other chasing down an arguably hot-looking punk.

Matthew sighed irritably as he dragged his phone from a jeans pocket to check the time and the complete lack of any new messages. Was there any real point to him staying any longer? He groaned as he stuffed the electronic device back and began trying to squeeze his way in what he thought was the direction of the door. Bodies pushed back against him as he muttered apologies that went unheard against the pounding bass and made it, even more, difficult to make any forward progression. Several minutes and a few glares later he was finally free and exiting into the night.

The bouncer at the door paid him little attention as the blonde stopped on the sidewalk and breathed the refreshing cool air that was in such contrast to the humid space he had just left. He could still hear the beat thumping behind him intermixed with the chatter of a few smokers and people making their way towards the door looking to gain entrance. Matthew stuffed his hands in his pockets and ignored everyone, instead making his way towards the apartment he and his brother were sharing. Flagging one of the many taxis that drove past crossed his mind, but the evening was calm and clear and walking seemed relaxing after the business of the club so he continued his way down the streets ignoring most everyone else who was out just as much as they ignored him.

Most every club he passed seemed busy with hordes of young people about his age all flocking around them looking for entertainment on a weekend evening. Matthew only glanced as he trekked along, not really caring where he was going. Midterms had finished recently at the local universities and now everyone was enjoying a break from all of the studying, himself supposedly included. He was 19 and a second year, he should be out exploring all of his options and trying new things. Instead, he was focused on curling up with a mug of hot chocolate and an internet connection. It worked for him, he just continued telling people he was just introverted and shy.

He was nearing the edge of the partying section of town when he ran into the person he would never be able to forget. Well, actually that person ran into him. Or stumbled is more like it. As Matthew was rounding a corner he caught a flash of grey-white hair and their owner staggering into the side of him like he was drunk, which is what the blonde automatically assumed. He muttered a quick apology and attempted to move aside, but the stranger wouldn't let him. He was held in place by strong hands on his shoulders and found himself eye to eye with a pair of bright crimson eyes and only the beginning of bizarre questions he was about to receive.

"When am I?"

Matthew blinked several times trying to detect that hint of alcohol on the other's breath before attempting to answer. "Um, present day?"

The stranger frowned. "No! What's the date?"

"Uh…" Matthew gave it some quick thought, "October 16th?"

"And…?"

"And what?"

The stranger groaned in frustration. "The year, verdamnt! What is the year?"

"Oh!" Matthew responded in shock and quickly answered, wondering why this person started grinning widely at the answer.

"I figured! I mean, your clothes!" the albino seized hold of Matthew's shirt and started examining it thoughtfully, "They are so old!"

"But I bought them last month…" The blonde replied quietly giving a quick once over to the man telling him his style was out-of-date. The other still wore jeans and a shirt and jacket, but the style and cut were a bit odd. Probably a new fashion from Europe, if the stranger's accent was anything to go by, but that didn't stop the bit of hurt that came with being picked apart by someone he didn't know.

"And these!" The man lunged in excitement, easily ripping Matthew's glasses away despite his protests and turning them over in hands. "I haven't seen anyone with these who wasn't ancient!" He held the wireframes up to his face and attempted to peer through glass lenses. "How do you see through these, Birdie?"

"Birdie…?"

"What's over there?!" he suddenly shouted, roughly forcing the glasses back at Matthew and the blonde fumbled them before placing them back up on the bridge of his nose.

Now able to see, he turned his attention to where the albino was looking and rolled his eyes. "We are in the club district. You could probably get into most any of them for a small fee."

"They look like fun! We should go!" The man decided, capturing Matthew by his wrist and starting to drag him forward towards the nearest door.

"W-Wait! 'We?'" Matthew stuttered a bit in confusion.

"Yeah, 'we!'" The albino supplied as he continued to pull him along, "I need someone to tell me what's going on and you will do."

"But why me?" The blonde managed to pull himself free and stare after the now confused stranger. "In there I am sure you will plenty of other people who will tell you whatever you need to know." He pushed the bridge of his glasses back to their usual place on his nose and frowned at the albino. "I don't know what you are looking for, but I don't sleep with random people I've met on the street."

The stranger burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter that had Matthew both lost and angry. "I forgot you used to say that sort of thing. It's great! I should use it too." He sidled up along the blonde and wrapped an arm around him allowing him to get close enough to whisper into the Canadian's ear, "What's this about, 'not sleeping with strangers?'"

Matthew attempted to will away the furious blush that was creeping up his face all while the stranger laughed again. "I am going to use all of those old fashioned words. Like 'weird' and 'Google' and…" his fingers tapped his chin quickly while he thought about it, "Oh! I know. 'Awesome.' That's something you say now, isn't it?"

"I guess…"

The albino stranger grin was practically manic. "Then let me introduce myself, awesome stranger. I am the awesome Gilbert Beilschmidt! The most awesome person you will ever meet and should spend an awesome night with."

"Okay, just because you can use the word, doesn't mean you need to see how many times you can fit it into a sentence."

Gilbert just continued to laugh to where the blonde was sure the other had not even heard him. "So Birdie-"

Matthew groaned. "I have a name."

"And it is Birdie."

"No, it's Matthew."

Gilbert paused and considered this change in development. "Matthew..." he stated slowly, testing the name in his mouth and smiling slightly. "Nope, Birdie sounds better."

Matthew growled in frustration and turned to storm away. There was only so much one person could take of this sort of thing and he had officially reached his limit. First his brother drags him out here and abandons him and now he had men soliciting him on the street. How could this night get any worse?

The phone in his pocket buzzed against his leg and the blonde paused midstride to check it. The message symbol appeared on the screen and he pressed a few buttons in order to make it appear.

 _'_ _Yo bro! Hot guy says he's got a tat! Be home as soon as I find it ;)'_

Matthew grimaced and quickly deleted it, returning the phone back to its pocket and turning to find Gilbert standing lazily behind him. "Problem?" the albino asked in faux naivety.

Why did this sort of thing always seem to happen to him? The Canadian frowned and considered his options. Alfred was likely not going to be seen until the later hours of tomorrow morning as it was. "My brother is apparently getting some." He rolled his eyes at the stranger. Why share his personal life with someone he had only just met? Someone who was clearly incompetent and would likely get himself arrested before the night was out if left on his own.

"'Getting some' still means sex in this decade, right?" Gilbert replied loudly earning a giggle from a trio of girls who passed by. Matthew blushed and stomped closer.

"Will you keep it down?" He hissed as he grabbed the man's arm and started dragging him towards the nearest building.

"I'll take that as a yes." The albino grinned and easily matched pace with his blonde guide. "Where are we going?"

"Anywhere. I don't care." Matthew replied continuing to tug the man towards the club. This one only had a short waiting line and that suited him fine as he got into it with Gilbert bouncing excitedly beside him. He glared at the darkened sky, wondering what being thought this was funny as the bouncer allowed them in and they paid the fee at the door. No sooner had money been exchanged than the blonde was roughly pulled towards the large group of people moving along with the DJ's mix. Had Gilbert's hand not been secularly latched onto his, Matthew was sure that he would have lost (and hopefully been rid off) the albino man.

But of course, his luck was never that good as they found themselves somewhere towards the centre of the thick crowd and unable to be more than a foot apart. Gilbert stopped and looked at the grumpy looking blonde, showing his widest smile. "Do we dance now?" he shouted above the surrounding noise.

Matthew rolled his eyes. "That's the point of coming here," he shouted back, wishing this guy would just take an interest in someone else and leave him alone.

Gilbert looking around at the people surrounding them on all sides and pointed to a couple grinding against each other. "Like that?"

Well, this night was only getting better. "You do _that_ ," he nodded towards the oblivious couple, "when you like somebody."

"I like you," Gilbert responded to which Matthew shook his head.

"No," he growled over the music, "like as in you want to fuck them."

"I'd fuck you." The other retorted without any hesitation, devious grin overtaking his face and his hands reaching out to latch on to the blonde's sides.

Matthew made sure his sarcastic remark was low enough to not be heard as he forced a smile. "Great..." Idiot probably didn't even understand sarcasm.

He didn't have time to debate his dilemma much longer before the albino began to awkwardly sway to the beat while attempting to copy what he was watching going on all around him. To say the Canadian wasn't appalled would be lying in its purest forms as well as saying that it didn't cross his mind to abandon that weird stranger right here and now by laughably sending him to practice his 'awesome' moves on some unsuspecting victim.

After giving the man another minute to figure out was he was supposed to do, Matthew sighed and figured he had better do something to stop this guy's uncomfortable floundering and wrapped his hands around Gilbert's waist to roughly pull their bodies flush against one another. The look of shock was worth the originally disliked idea and he leaned in close to the albino's ear to make sure he was heard without having to shout. "Don't just copy everyone else," Matthew instructed, gripping onto Gilbert's shirt and pushing his pelvis forward just a little more. " _Feel_ it." He pressed forward again, adding more of a circular motion to it and beginning to match the beat. "Just do what comes naturally." He pulled his face away, savouring the flush that had suddenly taken hold of his dance partner and raised a mocking eyebrow. "Haven't you ever danced before?"

"O-Of course the awesome me has danced before!" the albino blurted clumsily, "I'm the most awesome dancer! Just..." and he looked a bit away turning a little pinker as he did, "it's just different than what I'm used to."

Matthew couldn't help but snort at that answer and flip around to face away. "Oh really? Well then, Mr. Awesome Dancer," he called over his shoulder while simultaneously backing up, "prove it."

At first, the hands were still tentative and the movements still awkward, but that changed quickly as Gilbert got the hang of it. Matthew was impressed how quickly he learned as he ground into the blonde's back and fingers worked their way beneath the hem of his shirt to stroke the skin beneath it. If he had to admit it, Matthew may have said that it turned him on a little, but only if he had to. Forced was more like it.

But as lips began to work their way up the exposed part of Matthew's neck, something inside him snapped. Call it what you whatever you like. Maybe it was the fact that this newbie was easily becoming very proficient. Or that the blonde himself couldn't believe he was getting that hot over this whole thing. Or perhaps even that significant portion of his family genealogy that was French who immigrated over to North America suddenly rearing its head and coursing through his veins wanting to accept what was happening as a challenge and to show who here had the most skill.

Whipping back around to face the albino, Matthew latched onto the others man's mouth in a smothering kiss, inwardly praising himself that he managed to make Gilbert pause in his ministrations and miss a beat. His lips pulled off seconds later, going for the skin that led up Gilbert's jaw line and grazing it with his teeth as he continued his hip actions in time. The albino recovered quickly, matching the steady rhythm and recapturing the blonde's mouth with his own, forcing his tongue between the slightly parted lips to explore the newly discovered territory.

Matthew's eyes fluttered close as his own tongue wrapped around the intruding one to play with it and his hands wandered lower to give a squeeze to Gilbert's ass. The other smirked into their kiss, using his hands to pull them closer with each rocking motion and enjoying the friction of their movements through their clothing.

On the other hand, Matthew had a growing problem; one he should have known going in was bound to happen, but not regretting it all the same. The stranger had some skill and was likely pooling his knowledge from somewhere else to get what he was seeing here. And if this demonstration was anything to go by, well... he _did_ have the apartment entirely to himself tonight.

Matthew ceased to suck on the wet muscle and pulled away, pleased when Gilbert groaned and moved to his neck to continue teasing with lips and teeth. He leaned in close, giving a quick lick to the other's ear before putting out his offer in a husky voice, "Do you want to get out of here?"

The albino tipped his chin up to make himself heard. "So long as get out here involves more of this," he illustrated by thrusting his hips forward with a little more force than what had been done before, "but with less clothing."

His hand grasped Gilbert's wrist and forced his way between the other dancers, dragging the other man behind him as they headed straight for the door. A few club goers got in the way, and in their haste may have pushed them aside. Apologies were all but forgotten as they burst out of the crowded room and onto the street. A cool breeze passed over their flushed faces just beyond the entry and only seemed to fuel the excitement.

"How far do we have to go to your place?" Gilbert said huskily into his ear, his thumb brushing over his hip beneath the waistband of his jeans.

Walking would take another 30 minutes, something Matthew quickly assumed they didn't really have. And the idea of exposing himself in a dark alley between here and the apartment where random strangers could see, he could be arrested for indecent exposure, or he could get covered in something gross left there by whoever had used the space last wasn't something he wanted to think about. So he furiously hailed down the closest cab and dragged the albino into it.

The drive was just under 10 minutes, but the only parts Matt could recall of it was trying to tell the man his address before Gil could distract him too much and the end when he threw money over the seat at him in hopes of not breaking the kiss he was currently involved with. He blindly clawed at the door before finding the latch and shoving it open, using the momentum to pull Gil with him out and to the doorway where he punched in the electronic code to get himself into the building. Through the door and to the elevator they went and for once Matthew didn't notice how dimly lit and old the elevator was, not when he had other things on his mind.

Gilbert's lips were coating his neck with kisses, making his fingers clumsy as they struggled to find the correct key on his keychain and get it inside the lock in his apartment door. Short moans intermixed with metallic jingling and scraping as the lock slid back and they nearly tumbled into the small apartment. The cold wall met his back in contrast to the hot body pressing against him from the front. Their lips met once more, sloppy with the feverish pace and anticipation and Matthew wrapped his arms around him. "My bedroom's that way…" he managed out between gasps and kisses, his mouth smothered as soon as the words were out. Gilbert only nodded in response, his hands itching to get them out of their clothes.

The blonde managed to pry himself away from the wall and keeping a tight hold on his partner walk them backwards down the short hall to his room. Gilbert may have stepped on his foot as they shuffled in that direction that he didn't take much notice of too concerned with trying to walk backwards and pry his shoes off his feet at the same time as well as being distracted with the never ending stream of kisses and stroking.

The bedroom door proved easier to get through than the front door and as soon as it came into view Gilbert took over and directed them towards the bed. Matt tried to slow them down. "Woah, wait a minute…"

"You're not backing out on me now, are you?" Gilbert's words suggested he was trying to mock him though the tone was a little more pleading and his grip on him became subtly tighter.

There was no way Matthew was backing out now. He might consider not eating pancakes for a month with the amount of desire he had currently coursing through him. "No, just have to grab the condoms out of my brother's room." Hey, he may have just decided to forgo all common sense and have wild sex with some stranger he met on the street, but he'd seen enough of this guy and his actions this evening to wonder what sort of disease he had and if it was transferable.

"Not so awesome…" Gilbert groaned, releasing him and falling onto the bed.

"I'll just be a minute," Matthew informed him quickly, running back out of the room and heading through another door into a similar room. Al normally kept his room fairly tidy before going out in case he ever found someone he wanted to bring back for the night and the only real mess was a collection of school notes and pens on his desk left where they had been abandoned after they took their last exam. He didn't need to do any real searching for what he needed as Alfred continually informed him about them as he also casually discussed his numerous bed partners. His brother may be some kind of slut, but at least, he had enough sense to not end up with an STD.

There was a drawer beside Al's bed that contained whatever he needed for evening guests and in his haste grabbed the entire thing and pulled it free from its shelf. His hands shook as the grabbed a fistful of the shiny wrappers as they were easily spotted. In the last moment, he recognized a bottle of lube between the other items of entertainment within the drawer and retreated back to his room.

Gilbert hadn't taken to the idea of waiting very well as Matthew discovered as he re-entered. The man was stretched out on his back, his jeans pushed down around his thighs as his hands pleasured his engorged erection. His eyes were closed and his head rolled as his fingers played, grunting with each movement. Matthew was over him in a second, replacing one of his hands with his own causing the albino's eyes to pop open. "You started without me," he complained, stroking slowly and fixing the other with a soft glare.

"Thought you left." Gilbert began, cutting it short with a low moan.

Matthew tutted, tossing what he had found on the bed beside them. "That's not very polite." His hands went to his own jeans and undid the button keeping them in place. The fabric slipped from his skin easily enough and he breathed out a sigh as his member escaped its cloth prison. Gilbert sat up, kissing him again and aiding in ridding him of the pants to move the process along. Matthew pressed the palm of his hand against his shoulder to push him back down. "I'll lead."

Gilbert squirmed beneath him. "But I want to…!" his whine stopped with Matthew's finger pressed against his lips and their erections brushing against each other. The blonde's reply was more of a moan and his hand pawed beside him to find what he needed. He wasted little time as possible getting prepped, Gilbert grinning stupidly when he found he was the one wearing the rubber and lube. His hands tightened on Matthew's thighs, pulling him forward as he was eager to begin.

Matthew braced his hands against his partner's abdomen while getting himself into position. The pale skin was pulled taught over defined muscles and his fingers momentarily brushed over the top of them. 'Of course, you know what this means,' what was left of the rational portion of his brain scoffed, 'Only goes to the gym to work on his self-image.' Not that he was necessarily complaining at the moment. Simply pointing out the fact that the blonde could easily take him in a fight. Probably wouldn't even be much of a fight.

Those thoughts and whatever else he had as complaints vanished as gravity aided him in lowering himself onto the other. Logic was silenced in the face of ecstasy and his mind only demanded more of what he was feeling. He leaned his weight forward onto his hands in order to lift his pelvis and let out a satisfied sigh and he dropped back down. Again, his mind urged as he repeated the motion, balancing himself in a way so he could use his legs better.

Gilbert was enjoying it as well. After the first stroke his head and tilted back and he had muttered something Matthew found incomprehensible. As his movements increased, he found the other's hips meeting him as he went down. The fingers on his thighs were squeezing tight enough to almost guarantee he would have several circular bruises there the next day.

The room was filled with the sounds of their own pants and grunts and served as little more than fuel to drive them forward. Had Alfred come back early, neither would have noticed the viewer to their frenzied display, as their need far outweighed any desire to make the experience in any way romantic. Both had kept their shirts, Gil's having been pushed up to his armpits and Matthew still had both socks on though one had slipped down over his heel. But did they really need anything more for what was surely only a one night stand?

There was a point when Matthew became dimly aware he had been making a variety of loud, pleasured noises as he attempted to quicken their pace. He might not have noticed it all if it had not been for one stroke at just the right angle making his toes curl and his mouth to spill expletives. He needed that again and he pressed on with more force to his movements, alternating between English and French in his mind's confusion when he was rewarded for his actions.

He was close to finishing when Gilbert dug his nails into his skin, moaning long and low when he climaxed before him. He hissed and continued those final few strokes he needed to find satisfaction and rode out the pleasure filled moment as the stomach he had studied earlier in a moment of weakness became sticky with his cum. Letting go once in a while certainly had its perks and he was slow to remove himself from atop the other.

Matthew's legs were quivering slightly from their exertion, the awkward angle they had been kept in, and how tense they had been throughout their fun. He made it as far as falling forward onto his belly on his half of the bed and turning his head to watch the man he had just had sex with. Gil's smile was large and pleased as he had his attention on removing the condom off his soft penis. "Awesome…"

Matthew groaned. "Don't ruin the moment, will you?"

The albino dropped the used latex off the side of the bed and rolled closer. "I can try to make up for it?" he said with a fairly devious looking smirk and a hand headed to all the right places.

Matt put some effort into hiding his attraction though it very clearly did not work. Gil's grin grew and he withdrew his hands to work on removing his shirt. "Unless you're not interested…"

"Oh, I am!" Matthew spoke faster than he could stop get his mouth to stay quite.

He laughed. "We'll go again?"

The blonde practically threw a handful of wrapped condoms at him. "Round two."

 _AN: *types into Google* How to write smut?_


	2. Chapter 2

The steady sizzle of butter in the pan kept him distracted as he gave a quick stir to his batter and started pouring dollops in. Last night was… something the blonde concluded as he set the pitcher aside and picked up the spatula. Something amazing…? Something spectacular…? Something awesome-?

No, no, no! Mathew chided himself and shook his head fiercely. His still damp hair after his morning shower to wash away the remaining evidence of last night slapped him in the eye and he winced and had to rub at it. It was absolutely important that after hearing that all night that he didn't fall into the trap of including it into his vocabulary. It would be worse than if he spent the day with someone who used 'like' between every other word and somehow picked up the habit.

Still his feelings were a bit mixed as he tended to his breakfast. There was a man he barely knew beyond a first name basis in his apartment, using his shower. Naked in his shower… Water running down him…

"Maple dammit!" he cursed aloud, slamming the spatula against the stove in his frustration. The clock already read 10:30 and who knew when Al would return home? He was always slow to make that walk of triumph home after a long night out (never shame because he doubted Alfred ever had any). But the fact remained that at any moment his brother could come strolling through that door and witness his house guest.

And before then they needed to have a quick chat. About how last night was fun. Okay, a little more than fun. But it wasn't going to happen again because it was a one-time deal. Yeah, he bet Gil was planning on skipping out as soon as he could. Not looking back. Not wanting to meet up and have another one of those nights…

He groaned and pried a half finished pancake off the pan, quickly flipping it over. What was he thinking? That they would start some kind of stable relationship based off of sex? Or did it not matter because he was wantonly craving some sort of attention?

'Oh my god,' he suddenly thought, lifting his head to stare at the wall behind the stove, 'I'm turning into Al!' It had to be some kind of transferable disease, not genetics or anything. Maybe he could still find a cure so he too would not become a slut?

And clearly this whole thing with him feeling any kind of attachment was because, although he'd never admit or acknowledge it with actual spoken words, Alfred might be right when he said he wasn't getting enough. That's all this was. He just needed to get out of his room a little more often.

No, that would never happen, he reminded himself with a sigh, grabbing the plate of premade ones resting on the counter beside him. Matthew was the sensible brother, the one with good grades, a good scholarship, who worked hard and kept his head down and out of trouble. He was going to be the one to graduate, get a decent job and start a career to where he would own a picturesque little house somewhere in the countryside to retire to. His family had already planned out his life for him and now he had to fulfil it.

There was a sound behind him and he tried to act cool as he glanced over to see the object of his morning musings walk in still shaking droplets of water out of his hair. "Hey!" He said in a cheerful greeting, walking over to see what he was doing.

"Hey…" Matthew muttered, turning to hide his face over his food prep. Any heat he felt on his skin was due to the stove.

Gil was not deterred in the slightest at the lack of interest and had already made his way over to peer over his shoulder. "What are you making?"

Sounds coming out of his mouth managed something resembling the word 'pancakes' and he couldn't imagine his guest actually making out what he had said. Still the albino grinned and kissed his cheek as though he had understood clearly. "The authentic kind!"

"Right, authentic…." Matthew reiterated, discretely trying to hide the conspicuous box of mix sitting not two feet away from him on the counter. "You want-?" He blinked as Gilbert took the entire plate and started for the small barely four person table they kept in the corner. Perfect. Just great. Matthew struggled to hide some of his disappointment by turning off the stove and containing most of the mess to a single area, trying to ignore the sounds of drawers being opened and shut. "One closest to the sink." He rolled his eyes a little at Gil's happy exclamation at finding where they kept the forks and turned to watch the other cheerfully setting a place for them both at the table.

To be completely honest, he wasn't sure if the other had any manners at all in the entire time they had spent together. Gil was busy making the knives and forks sit at perfect right angles to the edge of the table, something that made Matthew cringe at how he and Al usually tossed whatever clean silverware they had left in a random heap somewhere near their plates. Sometimes that meant eating spaghetti with a spoon, but no one was usually here to judge them for that.

Grabbing the bottle of syrup he had heated up, he joined the other at the table and started helping himself to the breakfast he had made and tried to avoid catching his one-night stand's eye. This turned out to not be as easy as he assumed it would be as Gil rested his chin comfortably on folded hands with a broad smile stuck squarely on his face. He showed some form of restraint and waited until Matt had taken what he wanted before touching the plate himself.

"You're looking awesome today," Gil noted, nearly making Matt choke on his mouthful. "And last night was…"

'Don't say awesome. Don't say awesome. Don't say awesome.'

Gilbert sighed and leaned back in his chair, oddly devoid of any sort of descriptive word, awesome or otherwise. "What would you think of us doing that again sometime?"

"Sure!" They both blinked at how quickly that had escaped from Matthew's mouth and he struggled to regain any sort of composure. Shrugging his shoulders and stabbing another bite worth of pancake he tried to come across a little less eager. "If you would like…"

Gil practically beamed around his own mouthful of breakfast. "You could show me around your time!" he exclaimed. Matthew simply shook his head. Must be some sort of mix up in trying to translate his foreign tongue to English. They'd have to work on that.

His worst fears were realised not 15 minutes after the start of their breakfast when the sound of the lock being turned could be heard from the hall. Matthew froze in his chair, his eyes widening as everything around him seemed to slow. He hadn't thought of a reasonable explanation to give his brother yet. Curses flew through his mind as he eyed the room around him. Gil could hide? Under the table? Out on the fire escape? Just until Matt had found a way to introduce the two beyond "Hey bro, this is the guy I slept with last night!"

His mind wasn't working fast enough and time hadn't actually slowed when two people appeared through the doorway to the kitchen. First up was his brother, Alfred, a near mirror image of himself to anyone but the two of them. Today he wore the wrinkled versions of his clothing from the night before and a broad grin that read that he had a few urges satisfied. Behind him trailed this week's boy toy. Whoever he was, he was shorter than them both and relatively scrawny. His straw coloured hair looked as though it hadn't seen a brush in years though it must have lent the ability of partially covering his cringe worth eyebrows.

Alfred paused three steps in and his already wide grin found a way to grow even wider. "You found someone yourself, Matt?"

"Gil, Al. Al, Gil." There, introductions complete with a few gestures of his fork. Matthew attempted to bury himself further into his already diminished breakfast plate.

Gilbert leapt to his feet grabbing Al's hand and matching near the same indoor tone his brother used. "Your brother is awesome!"

It was at this moment Matthew wondered if it was possible to survive leaping from the fire escape or if he'd need to climb higher.

Alfred already seemed pretty taken by this stranger (likely because he wasn't far from that brand of weird) and pulled him into a hug. "I always hoped someone would take my brother's V-card."

"I'm not a virgin, Al!" When Gil questioningly glanced his way he shook his head further trying to indicate that in no way was last night his first time. Later it would occur to him that perhaps he was confused as to the phrase seeing that certain slang would always escape him.

His brother did little more than a shrug, slapping Gil's shoulder in an approving fashion. "Might as well be. I think you revert back if you haven't knocked boots with someone in… How long has it been?"

"Who's your friend?" Matthew tried to deter this line of questioning, pointing to his partner who had so far been silent during the entire exchange. This did not, however, stop him from casting a disapproving scowl his way and made all of Matthew's French ancestry take in his appearance with a slight air of disgust.

"Oh, right!" Alfred exclaimed happily, grabbing the smaller man by the arm and pulling him forward so he was part of the conversation despite it being fairly clear to everyone else that he likely held little interest in doing so. "Everyone, this is Artie."

"Arthur," he amended, tilting his chin ever so slightly to appear taller to the two standing on either side of him. Matthew stared, realising Arthur's lip held a piercing and briefly wondering if there were more and how he managed to kiss his brother with something possibly getting in the way.

"Artie's got a tat," Alfred continued on, much to the annoyance of Arthur and the relief of Matthew. This one wouldn't likely last long at the current rate. Unless his brother was really that good in bed, but that was something he'd rather not know. No really, he was good not knowing the answer to that.

Gilbert seemed fairly interested in learning this new tidbit of information and happily inquired Alfred to share more, much to the indignation of Arthur. While they all appeared taken by this conversation, Matthew let out a small sigh that this meeting looked to be going well. Even as Alfred snatched a slowly cooling pancake off the plate and stuffed half of it into his mouth, the two chatted easily. Arthur grew bored of them and nodded briefly at Matt before stealing Gil's seat and checking his phone.

Even that didn't seem to amuse him for long, as Arthur cleared his throat loudly and gave Alfred a glare that seemed to be permanently etched onto his face did the two abruptly end their conversation in the middle of discussing the video games they both had played, as despite the genres being similar there were few that both had played. Al blinked and smiled at his guest. "Oh, yeah, I was showing Artie around and then grabbing something to eat." He not so stealthily grabbed another pancake from the plate. "You going to be around later? Maybe you should go to his place tonight." He shrugged in Gil's direction and that was more than enough to hint that Al was looking to bring Arthur back to their place and things could get loud.

"Yeah, sure," Matthew nodded giving him a half smile. Normally on these sorts of nights Matt would head to the library for some late night studying, but maybe spending more time with Gil wouldn't be such a bad thing?

Gilbert's face said otherwise as he grimaced slightly and nodded along stiffly. "Sure, my place."

Alfred didn't notice and fist bumped him, again failing to notice Gil's lack of ability to return the gesture properly. Though, that wasn't entirely new for his perky brother. "Nice to meet you, dude. And remember, break my brother's heart and I'll break you!" He threw a wave to them before making his exit, lover in tow (Al didn't have boyfriends, he had fuck-friends) and left the kitchen feeling quieter without his presence.

Gilbert collapsed back into his chair across from Matt. "I like him."

Of course, he does, Matt considered, it's almost like he was dating his brother.

No, wait, scratch that. That was not something he wanted floating around inside his head.

The dishes clinked as they were stacked together and Gilbert picked them up to take to the sink to begin washing. Matthew watched a mixture of confusion and being pleased coming over him. Maybe it was in some way wise to get to know the person you might want to sleep with again. Maybe double check he wasn't really disease ridden or something.

"So Gil…" he started slowly, watching the rhythmic motions of the other's body as he scrubbed at one of the plates. "Do you have a last name?"

"Beilschmidt," he answered without pause and glanced over his shoulder. "You?"

"Williams. It's my father's name." Alfred went by their mother's given name since the divorce. Confused everyone, but he would explain that another time when he wasn't trying to gather intel. "Where are you from?"

"Germany."

"Then what are you doing here?"

Gil paused and set the dish he had been working on down in the sink. "Because…" He tilted his head up, briefly lost in thought while he thought about what his answer would be, or the correct way to describe it. "I wanted to get out and see something new. I saw a way to do it, and… I took it."

Matthew nodded slightly. "I think I can understand that." He may have daydreamed a few times of quitting school and travelling abroad, hitchhiking with only a backpack full of necessities and seeing all the little towns and villages skipped over between the major attractions. He wouldn't ever do that, but it was nice to dream sometimes.

"You've met Al, but do you have siblings?"

This prompted a laugh. "Yeah, I've got a little brother. He's a soldier in the temporal division. How would you describe him? All strict and doesn't have fun."

He couldn't help narrowing his eyes. Something was lost in translation. "He's a soldier where?"

"Temporal division…?" Gil repeated eyes shifted like he was giving away a great secret he wasn't supposed to tell.

"What's that?"

"Just a division. In the military."

"Specialising in what?"

"Temporal…. Things….?"

"Gilbert," Matthew's tone changed to the scolding tone he occasionally used on Alfred at times when they needed to remember to pay the rent, take out the trash, or someone was being accused of stealing the other's clothes from their laundry. "Temporal as in time?"

Gil laughed nervously. "Yes, good guess."

"So what is he doing there?"

"You won't believe me, but…" Not a great way to start an explanation and it was matched by how nervous Gil began to act. Matthew held his breath wondering how unbelievable the answer was going to be. "He helps to monitor time travel."

Yup, he was sorry he asked. "I can't tell if you're lying or just crazy." Though he'd put money on crazy.

"It's not a lie and I'm not crazy!" The last fork and the mixing bowl were abandoned and would sit in the sink for the next week as Gil came back over towards him. "How can I prove it…? It's 50 years from now, or something close to that. You see I've got this watch," he thrust his right wrist forward, waving around what was definitely an interestingly designed watch, but likely still a regular ordinary watch, "and I stole it from my brother's work because they regulate everything it's almost impossible to go anywhere yourself!"

Thinking back to the night before, Matthew should have listened to his first initial gut feeling about this man. There were things not right with him and he wasn't sure if this was something he could overlook. "Why this time?"

"There were alarms going off and I didn't have a lot of time." He shrugged ever so slightly. "I might have put in a random date and hit go."

Honestly, Matt had heard enough and would need to think through giving this guy a call about spending any more time together. He should have just walked away last night and followed through with his intended plan of hot chocolate at home alone. It would have been a disappointing evening for sure, but not involved having given someone with a depraved mental state his home address. He started shaking his head trying to find the right way to word "I'll call you. Get out," when a certain mischievous spark glinted in the other's eye.

Thrusting out his hand, Gilbert grinned wider than he had since the two first met. "Grab my hand!"

"No."

"Come on, Birdie." He shook his hand in front of him several times to coax the other into doing it. "Grab my hand!"

Matthew tucked his hands into his armpits. "No."

Pouting, but undeterred, Gil tried to pry one of Matt's hands-free. "It'll be awesome!"

"No!" Matthew struggled to keep his arms folded tightly across his chest. "Will you listen to me?"

Clearly not doing so, the albino settled for holding tightly to Matt's elbow. "Alright, how about a week from now?" He punched a few buttons on his watch and with a satisfied smile turned the dial.

In an instant, Matthew was sure he was tripping or possibly even dead. Shapes and colours sparked in front of his eyes in erratic forms he couldn't identify. He lost feeling in his limbs as though his entire body had fallen asleep but at the same time he was convinced he could feel himself being twisted and stretched into fantastic shapes. Then all at once it stopped and he was standing in his own kitchen again.

It took a moment to steady himself and he ripped himself away from Gil who was standing there grinning like the idiot that he was. "What the hell was that?" he hissed. He didn't know what had happened, but he didn't want his guest to stick around and do whatever it was a second time.

Gilbert ignored him and stared out the window. "It's raining."

Matthew followed his gaze unwillingly and still furious, blinking when he saw the droplets splash against the darkened pane. Odd, as it seemed to be sunny a couple of minutes ago. "Don't change the subject. What did you just do to me?"

"Mattie?"

Matthew looked up to see his brother walk in and head for the fridge. "Nice to see you out of your room. Hey, Gil."

He rolled his eyes while Gilbert acknowledged him with a wave. "Real funny, Al."

Alfred looked over the door, orange juice container in hand. "Hey, I've been real worried about you lately. It's been a week and I don't think you've had much to eat…"

Matthew blinked slowly, glancing at Gil. "A week…? Since what?"

"Since…" Alfred pulled out a couple take out containers and put them in front of Matt along with a spoon. "Um… I think it was the morning I first met Gil."

"That was a week ago?" Matthew shook his head. Nope, this was a prank. A rather elaborate prank being pulled on him by his brother and a random stranger. That thought alone made him angrier. It made him wonder how much money Al had paid Gil to sleep with him, or if he just got his kicks from doing it as well.

"Yeah, cause I was with Artie then and-"

"You're not with Arthur?"

Alfred shook his head and looked away. "He was a jerk. But Kiku's nice!"

"Kiku is…?"

"Oh, you haven't met him yet." His brother's smile was wide and he bounced on his feet in his excitement. "But if you're coming out again, maybe I'll bring him around!"

Something crashed in another room causing them all to jump and Alfred to stare in the direction it had come with wide eyes. "I-I'll check it out…" he whispered nervously and slowly began to creep back out to investigate. Matthew moved to follow when his arm was grabbed and he felt that strange sensation a second time. If there was too much of this, he was sure he was going to be sick.

"So, what do you think?" Gil was beaming, "Wait, let me guess. It's awesome right?"

Matthew had stumbled and put his hands on his knees, taking long deep gulping breaths. The spinning and nausea passed quickly and he was able to lift his head to glare at his captor. "What are you doing to me?" he hissed, wondering if Gil had slipped something into his food. "You and Al planned this, didn't you?"

Gilbert blinked and took a step back. "What? I didn't plan any of this with your brother. I just met him!"

"I don't believe you!" he stood slowly, relieved that pancakes did not make a reappearance and his sight didn't black out. "This wasn't funny! I'm leaving!"

He didn't listen to the sudden pleas to get him to stop and wait. Matthew spun and began to march away, taking exactly five steps before he realised he was no longer in his shared kitchen. His pace only slowed marginally and immediately sped back up. They were outside in a darkened alley, therefore supporting his claim to having been drugged earlier and kept going. Best to get away now before his internal organs ended up on the black market.

Gilbert was shouting something behind him, but he was in no mood to listen. He needed to find out where he was and how to get home. Stepping out into the street, there was more noise and an arm roughly pulled him back before he was run over by a carriage.

Yes, a carriage. Matthew needed a minute to completely process that one. A carriage with a horse in front of it that he was sure gave him a cross look and a snort at his almost being trampled beneath its hooves. And not the ones he was used to seeing in the park that gave couples excuses to snuggle close beneath a blanket. This one was splattered with mud and showed signs of having a long and well-travelled life.

"Gil… Did you see…?" Matt turned and stared at his companion who was no longer paying him any attention. Instead, his focus was on his watch which he hummed and shrugged at, then stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"You were saying, Birdie?"

Matthew simply gaped. "Where are we?" he shook his head and amended it to "When are we?"

This seemed to make his companion grin all the more. "So you believe me now?"

Honestly, he wasn't sure what to believe anymore as he looked around the street. A few people passed by and the occasional one spared them a harsh glare at their appearance. Compared to them the pair were severely underdressed.

"Can you take me anywhere? Anytime?" he hazards quietly, his eyes never leaving as a lady gave a quiet gasp and urged the man whose arm she held securely to quicken his pace away from them.

Gilbert looped an arm around him and began to steer him away from the street towards where they had first arrived. "Name it and we'll go."

The idea of being able to travel and explore filled him with excitement. How many people would be given such an opportunity to not only see foreign cities but cities at different periods of time? And with Gil as a companion? He felt silly that his heart beat fluttered at spending more time with the man.

"When it's all done…" he asked quietly when they were safely removed from the pedestrians on the street, "Can we go back to when we left?" Even when faced with something he wanted to run off and do his mind cursed him with reminding him of his responsibilities. He had classes to attend and assignments to complete. And somebody had to keep Alfred out of trouble. His entire life was waiting for him.

Gilbert must have seen some of his troubling thoughts on his face and his smug grin sobered. "If you want me to take you back, I can." It was amazing to see the normally cocky albino to be so disheartened.

"Eventually," he amended. His eyes fixed on the little watch on Gil's wrist and anticipation began to swell. He could do this for himself. He was allowed one adventure before he returned to a boring working life. And no one would have been the wiser if he did ever return.

That seemed enough an answer to put Gil back in brighter spirits and he pressed a few buttons on the screen of the watch before lending his arm to Matt. The blond licked his lips and stared at the open form for date and time. The only thing he wanted to consider for a while would be where or when they went next.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun was setting while the pair sat alone on the grassy hilltop. Someday the hill would be paved with numerous buildings crowding each other and racing towards the sky but for today it was only them. The nearest human settlement was miles away.

Matthew sighed at having finished their take-out meal and leaned back on his hands to watch the streaks of changing colours. Gil was stretched out on the grass beside him, a pleased smile on his face. "What did you think of authentic Thai?"

"It was good," Matt admitted, glancing to the assorted dishes they had brought with them, "but I think I'm alright with the stuff they sell in cartons on the corner." Honestly, he questioned the health standards of the time period they had gotten this stuff from. Out of the pair of them someone had to pay attention to sanitation or they would have spent all their time fighting off hepatitis or something similar. The last vaccination he recalled getting was tetanus which was better than nothing.

Gilbert shook his head and closed his eyes. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

"I think I left it behind when we were running from those knights who thought we performed magic."

The time he spoke of was one of their first adventures when neither one of them had any real idea what they were doing and ended up being chased through half of the city until they decided to move on to another time and place and used the watch to make their escape. Now, it was an inside joke between them at how easily they could have avoided the entire scenario except that Gil couldn't leave well enough alone. A single bark of laughter at the memory was his reaction to it.

It was difficult to say how much time had passed since Matthew had joined Gilbert in his travels. They could spend days in one place or simply hours in another making it tricky to keep track. And not everywhere measured time accurately, such as the empty hilltop they rested now.

When they began, it had all been clear inside his head what he was doing. "I'm only here to see some of the world," Matthew informed the other tersely, "Don't get the wrong idea."

He'd still been mad at being lied to and could hardly trust the other, but this was an opportunity of a life time. Gilbert didn't seem to take it seriously as he took a seat on the stone beneath them and held his arms out in front of him. "We're on top of a pyramid. Can see a lot of world from here, right?" Matthew had mentally blocked out the excessive use of the word 'awesome' that inevitably came with that statement. A useful skill that aided him in most of their conversations.

Several adventures later and Matthew was sitting alone next to a koi pond regretting everything. Gilbert was gone and he had no way of getting home, either physically or temporally. He thought of Alfred and his parents and how he would never see them again. Hours afterward Gil stumbled onto him, spewing apologies and concern at having been separated. It was nearly the moment that he returned to his time and forgot the crazy man altogether.

And yet he was still there beside him. Perhaps it made him the crazy one to stick around as much as he had.

The dimming light cast dark shadows around them as they sat quietly and watched it sink below the distant horizon. When he glanced to the side, Gilbert's smug face was already half hidden. At some point they had started actually being a couple. Maybe when they were watching the games at the colosseum? Or perhaps it was the time spent in the 60's. To be honest a lot of it would blend into one another. It made the blond wish he had kept a journal or taken pictures of all the things he had seen. It was more traveling than most people did in a lifetime.

So he didn't rip his hand away when Gilbert reached over and stroked his skin with a finger. "You were the most awesome thing I could have found."

"Oh, god…" Matthew groaned, "I thought I broke you of that habit…"

"Guess again!" Gilbert grinned, laughing as he sat up and held Matthew's hand within his own. It seemed a struggle for the albino man to find enough seriousness as tried to force the smirk from his own face. Matt admired the effort. "I was trying to say that… I…" he stalled, his mouth left open in a comical way as the next word caught somewhere in his throat.

Matthew, a near saint in patience thanks to years with his own brother, waited quietly for the other to finish what he wanted to say though it didn't stop the pained smile at wanting him to finish his thought. A smile which was forced ever slightly more when Gil turned his head to the side and rapidly chanted "I am awesome! I am awesome! I am awesome!" to himself before looking Matt in the eyes again.

"Look, here's how it is." Gilbert attempted again, and Matt shifted trying to get comfortable assuming it was going to take some time to get to wherever this conversation was headed. "I know we've been traveling a while and I'm not just saying this because the sex is awesome. Which it is. So awesome."

"Gil."

"Right," he laughed and flashed a sheepish grin at him. "I guess, I wanted to tell you for a while, but I didn't, but I'm going to say it now." Matthew raised an eyebrow him, but just watched as he took a deep breath. "I want to tell you… That I love you."

Stunned, the blond could only watch as the other continued to stumble along, not really sure of what he was doing. "I mean it, and I care about you a lot. I liked you before, but this is different. And you probably don't feel the same and that's okay because I'll work on it-"

"Gil."

"I know what you're going to say. And you don't have to say it. Understand completely. We can just go on like we did before! Just a couple more adventures and places to see and then I'll take you back to your home I swear it."

"Gil!"

"So pretend I didn't say anything. I promise I won't do it again."

Matthew waited patiently as Gil spilled several more apologies at having said something so entirely out of character that he felt the need to back track in his embarrassment. While watching the exhaustive display of awkwardness Matthew easily found his own words to reply and waited for enough of a pause in the other's monologue to voice them.

Gilbert had to catch his breath eventually and when he did Matthew made his move.

"I love you too."

Now with the phrase uttered it hung warmly in the air between them and resulted in smiles from them both. Matthew did his best to commit the other's expression to memory: a look of genuine happiness without the snark that always seemed to creep along the edges of his smile. It made him handsome.

"We should (what do you call it…?) _make-out_ now."

And within seconds that moment ended. The usual curl to his lips appeared that sent Matt's eyes into a frustrated roll. They would have to continue to work on that even if he had shown so many signs of improvement.

Still, as the other leaned in Matthew was more than happy to meet him half way. Following the connection their bodies drew closer, attracted to the comfort and warmth the other promised. One of Matt's hands held onto the side of Gilbert's head while a sneaky hand found its way to the small of the blonde's back and creeping steadily lower.

As was usually the custom, and sometimes a problem, kissing lead to far more. The first time (actually the second if we're counting total here) Matthew had chided himself for letting it happen. It was weakness that found them tangled together in the gardens of someone's palace. Simply the excitement of sneaking around in the dark, the boisterous overconfidence of his companion to remind him of the amount of fun that could potentially be had that caused a certain yearning that lead to the situation, however satisfying he wouldn't admit it at the time.

But once that barrier had been broken and they found themselves easily returning to their basic physical desires. And not all of their time jumps had been in the pursuit of historical adventure because of it. Like Gil's suggestion they find someone of relative importance and borrow their bed. It was a wonder they weren't caught, only barely escaping, naked, from pursuing security men in black suits.

The linen shirt and trousers that he wore now were pulled out of the way, leaving him bare before the hungry eyes of his partner. His head rolled back with a gasp as one hand closed around his manhood and granted it its desperate wish for attention. Matthew's own hands sought the bindings still clinging to Gilbert's form, wanting to set them on equal standings in being exposed.

Matthew's body quivered involuntarily at not finding completion before Gilbert removed his hand to pull the shirt over his head and toss it away. They kissed again, Matthew fighting back the frustration he felt at being made to wait. He attempted to subtly protest this delay by teasing Gil's erect member, a light touch with his fingers he knew the other hated and would force him hurry things along. Sure enough it took seconds for Gilbert to shift uncomfortably and pull away with a slight groan.

Now free, Matthew took the opportunity to move himself into desired position. Today it was one where he rolled to his hands and knees shuddered in excitement at Gil's hands at his back, squeezing and massaging the muscles. No matter what anyone could have thought, it was he who was the one in control of these times. Gilbert's actions had been refined and controlled subtly to make it to where he found the most pleasure. Some of them had been manipulative, though it was probably better that Gil had never found this out.

His breath caught as the act began and Matthew lowered his head towards the ground, closing his eyes to focus solely on the sensations of repetitive motion. His own hips pushed backwards to compliment that, his breath catching as his favourite spot was found and his body heating up under the sounds of grunts at his back. The familiar gathering sensation began low in his abdomen and made his own breathy commands more of a whine as they neared their end.

And suddenly Matthew was aware there were too many people on this hilltop.

His body complained at the sudden halt just before completing the act, but he it was forgotten in a haze of hormones as he felt Gil being pulled away and lifted his eyes to see an extra four bodies circling them.

"My god!" one of them exclaimed loudly in a heavily accented and foreign voice, " _this_ is how we finally catch him?"

Matthew turned quickly, sitting on the cool ground which only aided to help remove him from the wanton state he had only just been in and gazed in confusion at those gathered. The four new persons wore matching uniforms and military vests, lights attached to their shoulders shone brightly to illumine the dim area. Two men had Gilbert by the arms and were securing his hands in cuffs behind his back, much to the albino's protest. Another man and a young woman alternated from watching a criminal being taken into custody to observing Matthew and what he would do.

Suddenly aware of the situation Matthew flailed his hands in a clumsy attempt at covering himself under their gazes. His skin, still flushed from his earlier activity, turned a brighter, pinker hue. Gilbert on the other hand didn't appear to show any outward concern to his being exposed.

"West," Gilbert was complaining loudly to a bulky blonde on his one side, "you don't have to do this! It's not like I'm dangerous or anything, right?"

"You'll run away," the second, shorter blonde grumbled. The cuffs were fastened tightly and without any sense of kindness by this man and made Gilbert wince at the metal biting into his wrists. "Do you know how many hours we had to put in in order to track you down?"

"I don't care, Basch," Gil didn't even look over his shoulder at him despite the snaps and curses that returned back. Instead he stared at the first man smiling in his usually confident demeanour. "Come on, you know me! We're brothers! And I was only looking to have some fun."

A brunette standing closer to Matthew snorted. "If you really cared about being his brother you would not have stolen his ID and used it to steal that watch." Gilbert's brother looked away as all eyes turned to him. The brunette continued in a voice full of contempt. "He was called in front of the courts. They thought he let you in. Nearly lost his position had we not stepped in and defended him."

For the first time Matthew saw Gil's face fall in guilt. "Is that true?"

"Of course it's true!" the angry blonde had pulled the watch from Gil's wrist and waved it around as he gestured. "Not that you seem to care about what happens to your own brother. Out in the world trying to mess up out timelines? And where'd you pick up him?" Matthew realised a few seconds too late that this Basch person had nodded at him at that part. "Was your first stop to a brothel?"

"That's enough," Gil's brother finally spoke, his voice low and rumbling as he glanced at the others, momentarily ceasing their arguments as Gil opened his mouth to defend Matthew's honour.

"Here." Matt jumped as a soft voice spoke beside his ear and he looked into the face of the girl holding out his clothes to him. "I think you may want these," she said sweetly.

"Lily, don't get too close to him!" Basch yelled, "He could be a pervert for all we know."

"Hey! Don't talk to my Birdie that way!" Gil protested, though Matthew wished desperately to not be noticed at all during this entire conversation. Especially not by some awkward nickname he didn't understand and while everyone had already witnessed him in a compromising state.

The brunette however was scrutinizing him even as he fumbled to get redressed. "Birdie?"

"Sorry no one gives you any pet names, Roderich," Gilbert spat at him.

"Quiet, everyone!" Gilbert's brother barked earning the silence of the oddly assorted group. Matthew was finished pulling everything on and debating on whether or not he should remain on the ground or stand in their midst. The tension was making him uneasy and as he rose to his feet he fought against the instinct to shiver nervously.

With all attention on the tall blonde he began to issue his orders. "Basch and I will take Gilbert back to headquarters. Roderich and Lily, take my brother's friend and return him to his correct time."

"No!" Matthew was surprised at his own voice and almost instantly regretted having everyone's attention because of it. Gilbert actually smiled. "I want to go with him."

"Not going to happen," Basch relayed quickly.

"But, please…!"

"It's simply not possible," Roderich responded in what could possibly be seen as sorrow for the situation if it were not for his continual attitude that seemed to always be looking down his nose at those around him. "It's against the law. Gilbert should not have even disturbed you from correct time period. It's entirely possible that his actions could have altered too many things as it is."

Matthew opened his mouth again searching for any kind of argument but Gilbert shook his head. "It's fine. We had a pretty awesome time together. Don't forget me."

The world spun and with it the last image he ad of Gilbert as Matthew felt that familiar sensation of being reshaped that came with crossing time. The two hands that held his arms held on securely until the familiar kitchen of his small apartment filled his vision and his feet were once again solidly underneath him. Breakfast dishes were piled in the sink and the makings for pancakes still sat on the counter. He recalled this setting vaguely in the back of his mind.

He spun and glared between them, pulling himself up to appear more confident in himself. "Take me back."

Roderich hissed a curt "no" in a bored tone, but Lily smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, "It's best if you forgot any of this happened."

And before he could stop them they were gone.


	4. Chapter 4

The date wasn't going badly, but Matthew couldn't say it was going well either. Kat really was a nice woman. She smiled pleasantly and giggled quietly into her coffee at little things he said. And physically he'd be crazy to say she wasn't attractive, or didn't possess features that would make a man's gaze fall to her chest, but he still wasn't interested. Just as he hadn't been interested in anyone in years.

Whether or not she could tell he was simply being polite when his brother demanded he meet her at this café was hard to say. They continued to chat about some of their interests while Matt's finger traced the handle of his mug. Hopefully he didn't look bored, especially since if he did anything to make her upset, his brother and husband would likely show up on his doorstep demanding to take it out in blood.

She, just like everyone else he had met before, just wasn't right. Her laugh wasn't loud and obnoxious; her eyes didn't possess that mischievous glint. He hoped she'd eventually meet someone someday who loved her for being the uniquely special person that she was. He, on the other hand, had a lifetime of solitude to look forward to.

It was strange now to look back on that night he had run into that albino stranger and how it had changed him from that moment on. Here he was, 30 now only a couple years away, going out on blind dates while his brother played with Matthew's nephew. Alfred had been the one to settle down first, marrying a man named Ivan and adopting a kid. His parents were always so excited to see their first grandchild at family dinners that Matthew had slid quietly into the background to watch everyone else live their lives and be happy.

The first week after the soldiers had returned him to his proper time passed without him knowing it. Depression enveloped him more so than he had ever thought possible after breaking up with someone. It wasn't meant to be, he reminded himself continually as he lay in bed.

He had forgotten that the first trip Gil had taken him on was to their apartment until it was too late. While hiding in his room he realised he could hear voices and immediately suspected that Alfred had friends over. When it hit him what was really happening, the blankets that had been his cocoon switched to become a snare. Holding tight to his limbs when he tried to move too quickly, he toppled out of bed and fell into his nightstand, sending it and the lamp to the floor in a loud crash.

Wildly fighting to gain purchase, he scrambled up throwing the door open hard enough to slam against the wall and running straight into Alfred in the hallway. His stunned brother kept looking from him to their kitchen entirely confused. "Mattie…?"

Matthew didn't wait. Shoving past Alfred he skidded into an entirely empty kitchen and screamed when who he had hoped to see was no longer there. He had missed his chance.

Alfred forgot about the situation entirely and soon Matthew resumed attending his classes. He found a way to make everything work out and soon after graduating was accepted into that decent job he was always meant to have.

But it was a lonely life, one that on low days made him feel as though he was simply going through the motions rather than living. That's likely why Alfred had thought this idea of a blind date with Ivan's pseudo-sister was brilliant. Ivan really had no control over what Alfred did sometimes, but it did at least seem like he was the responsibly one of the two.

His brother, to the surprise of all, settled down half way through his senior year. Mostly this was due to him meeting his future husband. Ivan was… a unique man, though so was Alfred in Matt's opinion. He supposed he was one of the few people that had just as much fun as he did in order to keep him interested while at least attempting to be a positive influence. Sometimes.

Still it was strange to grab lunch with his brother who was in the midst of begging Ivan at point of tears to let them adopt a puppy. For their son, of course, Alfred pointed out followed by a slew of pictures of the toddler doing a variety of cute things. Matt had a goldfish. It wasn't particularly exciting. But it was marginally better than coming home to an empty house.

"Sorry, am I boring you?"

Matthew blinked and sat up in his chair. "No! Sorry! I was just thinking about my brother and Ivan."

She nodded and smiled, likely more out of politeness now that he had screwed up and let his mind wander. "It's nice to see Ivan again. And seeing him as a father now reminds me of when he was child and I was caring for him."

Matt nodded in agreement. "Yeah… You should tell any stories you have of little Ivan at family dinner. I'm sure we'd all like to hear them."

"Da, I will." She smiled as she remembered a few of them and laughed to herself. "I'll tell you about his imaginary friend he had growing up."

"Perfect. Al's been looking for something like that after our parents slipped that he used to wet the bed."

Kat tried not to laugh, attempting to focus on her empty cup instead. "Oh, that's terrible."

"I had it worse." He gave her a flat look. "We had bunk beds. He liked to be on top."

This had her laughing, and a smile managed to appear on Matthew's face as well. There were still visa issues that were meddling with Kat's ability to stay, but Ivan was working hard to find a way to get her here permanently. Likely that was part of the reason why he agreed when Al suggested setting her up with him. If she married a citizen the problem would be solved rather easily.

Her eyes drifted up to a spot somewhere behind him which Matt didn't pay any attention to until she tilted her head, one eyebrow raised. "Do you know him? I think he's staring at you."

Likely someone Alfred managed to piss off, he grumbled quietly to himself as he turned. Although he'd gained some responsibility there was still that distinct ability for his brother to anger those around him. Normally it wouldn't be a problem but when you were nearly identical to said person, it meant getting stopping in the street and harassed from time to time. Worse thing it could be an old flame that Matt would have to explain that Alfred had moved on was happy. Otherwise he was always quick to give them Alfred's number and wait for when Ivan complained about the strangers calling the house to yell at them.

He needed to turn nearly completely around in his chair to see the door behind him and get a look at this stranger that was watching them. His eyes hadn't lost their crimson intensity despite the owner's face looking slightly older than what he could remember and it had him rising out of his chair as though standing would give him a better view. "Gil….?"

Gilbert grinned and took a few steps forward. "Hey Birdie."

Shock was the deciding factor as Matthew shook his head and attempted to ask all his questions at once resulting in a jumble of nonsensical words. Gil laughed and took a few more steps closer, still hesitantly remaining closer to the door. "How…?" Matthew managed and shrugged his arms.

"I found a few documents while I was in prison," he began, ignoring that any reasonable person listening in would assume the worst. "They cleared me and I came to find you."

"Won't they come find you again?" His feet felt glued to the floor by his chair. He wanted to throw himself at Gil, but his mind was panicked that this was only a dream and when he got there the other would be gone.

Gilbert held up both his wrists in front of him. "I'm being punished by being sent to stay here for the rest of my life." Without the special watch, there wouldn't be any more time jumping. Gil wouldn't be returning to his own time unless they came and picked him up.

"But… But you could have come sooner!" Really, he was happy to him, but the years had been long and loneliness could have been solved if only Gilbert had been there with him.

Hearing this Gilbert nodded slowly. "But, then I would have been old and you wouldn't have."

Actually, that made some sense. Still in a daze, Matthew continued to ask every possible question. "What if I had moved on?"

Gil's eyes widened and he leaned his body so he could fully see Matthew's date still seated at the table. She had her chin resting on her hand, dreamily watching the two, until she realised the questioning stare. "Oh? Don't mind me!" She waved her hand dismissively, and then nudged Matthew on with a flick of her wrist. "Matthew, don't just stand there."

Blushing at needing the encouragement, Matt stepped forward to meet him. They embraced at first and he relaxed at finally feeling the familiar arms holding him, a feeling of longing that made him cling to Gilbert. They kissed gently and rested their heads against one another. "My brother dropped me off," Gil informed him and turned so he could look out the door and wave. "He wasn't sure you'd actually take me back."

Matthew looked over his shoulder in time to see the burly blonde outside nod and return the wave. Raising his own hand, Matthew hoped that it indicated his thanks well enough that's Gilbert's brother understood. Whether he did or not, he turned and left, walking down a secluded side side-street towards an empty parking lot where he presumably vanished.

* * *

Ludwig returned his gear to his locker and stowed away the watch he had used to the safe room with numerous combination locks and required biometrics. Security like this that wasn't put into place until his brother broke into the facility to steal one of them several years before.

He filled out a brief log for his boss to read that he had deposited the criminal 'Gilbert Belshmidt' to the designated time period of his banishment and that everything had gone according to plan. There were no incidents and the criminal did not attempt to escape. When he was finished he submitted the document and clocked out for the day.

Outside he caught the bus and took a quiet seat near the back. Routinely checking his phone at precise five minute intervals he monitored his progress towards his intended destination. He had asked for some time off, something that given the circumstances his superiors had granted easily and now headed for the airport. There was something he needed to see for himself.

Hours and flights later he emerged from the airport and got into a cab and gave the driver the address before attempting to relax in his seat, something he hadn't done since he finished work. He watched the buildings slide past through his window quietly as they left the busy main area and turned into the quieter suburban streets and came to a stop outside a small little home.

The house itself was well taken care of, though he didn't doubt that it would have been. It was a family trait that they both liked things kept at right angles and neatly in their own places. Ludwig followed the front walk, stopping to press the button beside the door and waited as he heard shuffling before it was opened by a young man who gazed up at him with a slight look of fear. "Who are you?"

"My name is Ludwig. I am looking for Gilbert?" At this the boy nodded and turned his head to shout into the house, "Grandpa? There's somebody named Ludwig at the door!"

Something was knocked to the floor in another room. "Let him in! Let him in!" While Ludwig stepped inside and pulled the door behind him shut an old man hobbled in from the other side of the room. "West!" Beneath the age Ludwig could still recognize the same brother he had always known, even if his eyes looked far more glassy and his face held more skin than it had the last time he had seen him. He tried to be gentle in returning the hug the other forced upon him, noting how he was sure he had shrunk slightly in height.

"It is good to see you!" Gilbert continued, pulling away and making his way back the way he had come. "Come in! Come in! You've already met my grandson." He stopped and swatted a hand backwards into Ludwig's chest. "Grandson!" he cackled and coughed as he found it amusing to have such a thing, Ludwig in agreement that he hadn't expected this sort of thing either.

Gilbert pointed Ludwig to a seat in the cozy living room across from a matching pair chairs, the one holding an equally elderly man who watched with curiosity as their guest was told to sit and make himself comfortable. "Matthew, you remember my brother, Ludwig?"

Recognition sparked behind Matthew's eyes. "Ludwig, yes! It's good to meet you properly. That first time was… embarrassing."

Ludwig blushed and nodded, hoping to not have to speak about that again. Gilbert was busy trying to pull open cabinets and drawers while his grandson darted around him trying to help. "How long has it been, West?"

"I just dropped you off to serve out the rest of your life punishment yesterday."

"Oh, that long?" He stacked his grandson with a number of electronic photo albums and waved him towards his brother. "Discovering those documents that proved I was meant to be here was the best thing that ever happened. Besides getting you as a brother." The second part was tacked on, but Ludwig tried to not let that bother him.

"This has been the best life sentence I could have ever had," Gilbert continued, resting in his chair and holding Matthew's hand while their grandson brought the photos over for him to look through. "We've had kids. And grandkids. Dogs! We went on road trips and had parties. There's all the photos. Look at them!" He sighed and brought their joined hands to his lips, pressing a kiss to Matthew's knuckles and receiving a giggle in return. "It's been a great… Matthew how long has it been?"

"53 years," Matthew responded and shook his head despite the smile at the antics of his husband.

"Wow, we've gotten old," he remarked and their grandson rolled his eyes and whispered to Ludwig, "They do this all the time."

Ludwig smiled, finally convinced that the decision to drop Gilbert off in the past had been the right one. "I'm glad you're happy, brother."


End file.
